A Cautionary Legal Tale: The Bose v. Consumers Union Case

Gerald M. Parsons University of Nebraska–Lincoln

Abstract

This article describes the facts of the Bose v. Consumer's Union of U.S., Inc. case, a precedent-setting libel case that involved a technical review of a product, which was litigated over a fifteen-year period, from District Court to the Supreme Court. The litigation centered on interpretation of technical phraseology. The basic facts of the case are described, central legal issues are identified and some speculation about the relevancy of the final decision to other similar future situations is suggested.

Journal
Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
Published
1992-10-01
DOI
10.2190/e077-tam0-bbry-l6tc
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Citation Context

Cited by in this index (2)

  1. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  2. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication

References (16)

  1. Consumer Reports
  2. Bose Corp. v. Consumers Union of U.S., Inc., 508 F. Supp. 1249 (D. Mass. 1981); 529 F. Supp. 359 (D. Mass. 1981).
  3. New York Times v. Sullivan, 376 U.S. 254, 84 S. Ct. 710, 11 L.ED. 2d 686 (1964).
  4. Warshawsky M., Libel, the Media, and Public Figures and Officials, Case & Comment, pp. 44–47, Jan-Feb, 1981.
  5. Bose Corp. v. Consumers Union of U.S., Inc. 692 F.2nd 189 (1982).
Show all 16 →
  1. Fordham Law Review
  2. Carley W. M., Consumer Reports Libel Case Worries Publishers, Who Fear Another Setback by the Supreme Court, …
  3. Bose Corp. v. Consumers Union of U.S., Inc. 104 S. Ct. 1949 (1984).
  4. Wermiel S., High Court ruling for Consumers Union Again Backs Broad Review of Libel Cases, The Wall Street Jo…
  5. Hofstra Law Review
  6. Barrett P. M., The Loner: Scalia Hasn't Built Conservative Consensus on Court, The Wall Street Journal, pp. 1…
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